Therapeutic Potential of Gut Microbiota and Its Metabolite Short-Chain Fatty Acids in Neonatal Necrotizing Enterocolitis
Naser A. Alsharairi
Life
Abstract
Short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), the principle end-products produced by the anaerobic gut microbial fermentation of complex carbohydrates (CHO) in the colon perform beneficial roles in metabolic health. Butyrate, acetate and propionate are the main SCFA metabolites, which maintain gut homeostasis and host immune responses, enhance gut barrier integrity and reduce gut inflammation via a range of epigenetic modifications in DNA/histone methylation underlying these effects. The infant gut microbiota composition is characterized by higher abundances of SCFA-producing bacteria. A large number of in vitro/vivo studies have demonstrated the therapeutic implications of SCFA-producing bacteria in infant inflammatory diseases, such as obesity and asthma, but the application of gut microbiota and its metabolite SCFAs to necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), an acute inflammatory necrosis of the distal small intestine/colon affecting premature newborns, is scarce. Indeed, the beneficial health effects attributed to SCFAs and SCFA-producing bacteria in neonatal NEC are still to be understood. Thus, this literature review aims to summarize the available evidence on the therapeutic potential of gut microbiota and its metabolite SCFAs in neonatal NEC using the PubMed/MEDLINE database.
Extracted Claims
4 claims extracted from this paper into the knowledge graph
short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) perform beneficial roles in metabolic health
“Short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), the principle end-products produced by the anaerobic gut microbial fermentation of complex carbohydrates (CHO) in the colon perform beneficial roles in metabolic healt...”
butyrate, acetate and propionate enhance gut barrier integrity
“Butyrate, acetate and propionate are the main SCFA metabolites, which maintain gut homeostasis and host immune responses, enhance gut barrier integrity and reduce gut inflammation via a range of epige...”
butyrate, acetate and propionate reduce gut inflammation
“Butyrate, acetate and propionate are the main SCFA metabolites, which maintain gut homeostasis and host immune responses, enhance gut barrier integrity and reduce gut inflammation via a range of epige...”